Flurry of Fervor
by Neon Laser
Summary: The gang decides to go to a ski resort over spring break and the Kaiba brothers are invited. Mokuba thinks of this as a chance to get Joey and his brother to finally get along. But when things go astray, the results will vary. And maybe for the better.
1. Discerning Eye

**Pairing:**Seto/Joey; hints of YY, MM, BR, and Tristan/Duke

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Amazing, isn't it?

**A/N:**Sooo, this is my first fanfic. I cannot guarantee its quality, considering I have not written for 'fun' in some time. Anywho, I hope you enjoy and I greatly appreciate reviews.

And as a little note, I know some prefer the Japanese names over the dubbed. However, I grew up with the dubbed (even though 4kids screwed it up) and I'm more familiar with them. Oh well.

Enjoy!

* * *

Business was slow at the Kame Game Shop. Yugi had expected as much, considering that today marked the day 'Spring Break' started. Most families had already left Domino City to pursue their vacation spots. And it seemed that the gang began planning as well.

Four of them huddled around the counter. Yugi took his place behind the register. Joey had taken the pleasure of sitting on the counter itself. Teá and Tristan chose the more polite option of standing.

Téa rolled her plan off her tongue at such a speed, it left one particular member lost.

"So, what're we doin' again?" Joey asked as his pinky finger dug in his ear.

She frowned before curtly replying, "Were you even listening?!"

The blond returned the glare. "I was, but ya lost me. Right around 'Hey, guys! I have an idea'" He mocked the last part in a falsetto tone.

Before the girl would lose it, Tristan cut in and translated her babble, "Queen's Winterland Resort at the Checkered Mountains for the break."

The other nodded with an exaggerated 'oooh'.

The brunette sighed in defeat. "Why do I even bother?"

Yugi laughed at his friends' antics. Deciding to give to the conversation at hand, "So, who else is going?"

Instantly perking up, she responded, "Well, besides us four, there are Ryou and Malik. Duke's a sure thing also. I think Serenity is. And the Yamis are invited, of course."

"That seems a lot of people in one cabin," Tristan commented.

"Well, there _are_ six bedrooms, two family rooms, three bathrooms, and-"

"And just how much is this going to cost us?" Joey interrupted. The question was not intended to come across as rude. However, money mattered in his world; especially when it came to necessities versus nonessentials.

The girl smirked. "Not a dime out of your pockets!" Noting the confused looks, she explained, "My family owns a cabin out there and relatives take turns using it. It just so happens that it's **our** turn. And my parents gave me full permission to the use of it solely this time."

"So, it's cool with your folks that they're letting a bunch of rambunctious teens run free in an overpriced log cabin?" Tristan's voice held mild sarcasm.

An eyebrow rose. "Rambunctious? _Please_. The only ones I have to worry about are Bakura, Marik, and Joey." She earned a small protest from the said-teen.

"By the way, what exactly are the getting-there arrangements?" Yugi asked.

Téa paused as she recalled. "Well, Malik and Marik will arrive later by bus." She paused again. "My dad's van can only hold five comfortably."

"I could go with Duke in his car. And Joey and Serenity could take mine," Tristan added.

The tri-colored haired teen nodded. "So, the rest of us will take the van."

"So, how's this road trip goin' to work?" Joey asked.

"Oh?" Téa clapped her hands. "Well, it **is** a long drive. We'll have to stay overnight at a motel."

"I think it'll be better if we meet up a diner or something now and again," Yugi added. "Like checkpoints so we know everyone's okay."

The brunette hummed in agreement. "That's a good idea, Yugi. We should meet here at 7:30 tomorrow morning before we head out. Sounds good?"

Everyone nodded.

The brunette clapped her hands again. "That settles it. Plan Winterland is into play!"

Then, the door's bell rang: signaling a potential customer.

The three non-employees dispersed. Each pretended to be preoccupied with the merchandise. They eyed the door until a mop of black was completely exposed.

"False alarm!" Joey yelled. "It's just Mokuba!"

A pout formed on the smaller teen's face. "Gee thanks, Joey. It's nice to see you too," he replied almost-starkly. However, content still edged his voice.

The blond grinned and ruffled Mokuba's hair. "Just kiddin', sport. We're always happy to see ya." A smile was returned.

The four returned to the counter and to their previous spots with an added Mokuba on the counter.

"So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Yugi started.

The kid's shoulders sagged and he shook his head. "Boredom brought me. Even though school let out, Seto plans on working during the entire break." Softly, he mumbled under his breath, "And he promised we'd go do something this time."

Catching the last bit, Joey's eyes narrowed. "That sure sounds like him," he said with venom.

"It's not his fault," Mokuba retorted almost mechanically. "He has a lot of work to do." _He always has a lot of work to do_, he thought.

There an awkward silence, before the black-haired teen felt nature's calls. "Hey, Yugi. Mind if I use your bathroom?" He asked sheepishly.

"No, not at all," he answered with small smile.

"Thanks," Mokuba chirped. He bounced off the counter and marched down the hall.

Once, he left hearing range, Joey turned towards the others.

"Guys, I think we should invite him with us," he suggested.

Téa looked thoughtful. "We have enough room…"

"Yeah but," Tristan attempted to reason, "What about Kaiba?"

Joey scrunched his nose at the name. "What about him?"

"If he lets Mokuba go, there's a high chance that he'll tag along too."

Before anyone could respond, padding of feet caught their attention. "So, what did I miss?" Mokuba asked. He bounded over to the counter and took his spot back.

"**Well**, we were just exchanging our deepest darkest secrets. Too bad you decided peeing was more important," Joey teased.

"Oh? You told them about your stuffed dog Mr. Chippers?" The younger stuck his tongue out and gave a raspberry.

A wide grin graced the blond's face. "Why you little-!" He grabbed the boy in a headlock and proceeded to give him a noogie.

Laughter erupted from the two, which in turn caused the others to laugh as well. If anyone had not known better, the two could be read as brothers.

After calming down a bit, Mokuba managed to inquire, "So, what are you guys doing for the break?"

The group exchanged knowing looks.

"Well," Joey began. "We're headin' out to that resort up on the Chess Mountains or somethin'. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"You mean the Queen's resort?!" Mokuba eyes lit up. "Who hasn't heard about it?" He twittered, "You have to tell me about it when you guys get back."

"No," the blond said sternly.

The boy's face faltered. "What?"

The other had a hard time suppressing a smile. "Why should I have to tell you about it when you can experience it firsthand?"

"You mean?"

Joey hopped off the counter and bowed overdramatically. "I, Joseph Wheeler, hereby cordially invite you to join us on our endeavor to the Crags of Checkers."

…

"Do you even know what half of those words mean?"

"Shut it, Tristan!"

The play-fight was stopped abruptly when Mokuba tackled the blond.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He chanted. "It'll be so much fun!"

He hopped off the counter and bounced in place; running his mouth faster than a squirrel knocked up on caffeine. No one was quite sure on what was being said.

The others smiled at the younger Kaiba's cheerfulness. However, the smiles wavered when the boy suddenly stopped.

He looked down at his feet and shifted. "Joey?" He gave the other a nervous glance. "Do you mind if Seto comes too?"

Suddenly, it felt as if the temperature dropped. Pairs of eyes looked hesitantly at the blond.

A blind man could see that the two did not get along. Anytime they were within ten feet of each other, it ended up with them arguing or occasionally throwing punches. It was clear that the two simply were doomed to be inhospitable to one another. However…

After mulling it over, Joey made his choice. "I'm fine with it as long as he stays out of my way."

"You won't regret it!" Mokuba bear-hugged him and pranced to the door.

"I'll come by around seven tomorrow morning!" Joey called after him.

The boy waved over his shoulder and slammed the door open.

Tristan waited till the door shut before asking, "Regret it yet?"

A sigh escaped. "The moment I said it."

"Then why'd you say it?" Yugi inquired. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in why Joey would okay Seto's invite.

Joey pondered for a moment; figuring a way to explain it. "Well, I figured it'd make Mokuba happy. And when ya live with a crab like Kaiba, ya need a break once and awhile."

"Is Joey going all sentimental on us?" Téa teased.

"Shut it, table dancer."

…

"Are you actually going to ride all the way with Kaiba?" Tristan seemed incredulous.

Joey cocked an eyebrow. "Who said I was going to take him?"

Téa shook her head. "You did." Seeing that the blond was still skeptical, she clarified. "If you're taking Mokuba, you can count on taking Kaiba as well."

"Aw shit! I forgot about that." He scowled, and then turned thoughtful. "Maybe no one will mind if I stick him in the trunk."

"Joey, you're not putting him in trunk," Yugi said flatly.

"Yeah, yeah." Joey moved away from the counter. "Tris, mind if I borrow your car for the night?"

The brunet raised an eyebrow and dug in his pocket. He managed to pull out an assortment of keys. He slid one off and handed it. "Sure, I guess. Why do you need it now?"

The other shrugged. "Got some errands to run. Don't worry, though. I'll park her out of my neighborhood."

"Fine. Just don't wreck my car again."

"Can't promise anything." He grinned widely as he sauntered to the door. "Hey, Yug. I'll see ya first thing tomorrow morning."

"Just go already," Téa shooed.

As he opened the door and walked through, he poked his head back in. There was a dramatic pause…and then, "See you too, working-girl." He retracted from the door as the brunette growled.

He grinned again as he heard laughter.

However, that did not assuage his anxiety.

* * *

Mokuba jumped out of the limo before it made to a complete stop. He ran up the front stairs of the Kaiba Mansion.

Before he made it to the door, a maid obediently (and quickly) opened the door for him. He brushed past with a rush "Thank you" and only paused to take off his shoes.

He made a dash to the main stairwell. He noticed one of the butlers nearby.

"Where's Seto?"

The man made a jolt and gave the boy his full attention. "Master Kaiba had returned to his study not too long ago."

_Well, that's a good sign_, Mokuba thought. If Kaiba left the study in the first place, that meant the elder was in a good mood; or at least less bad than usual.

The boy took a deep breath before climbing the stairs.

He made a beeline to the study's door. He stopped and listened in. Very few keystrokes were made, which only meant that Seto was stuck on something. That worked in Mokuba's favor.

He stood there for moment to gather on what he would say. He knew very well that begging was out of this question. He could almost hear Seto's voice going, 'Kaiba's don't and will never beg.'

The puppy-eyes tactic would not work in this circumstance. It involved Seto and his least favorite people cooped up in a cabin for a week.

He groaned in frustration. _If only Joey made it sound like a challenge. Then Seto would have no other choice but-_. An almost sinister smile graced Mokuba's face. It wouldn't hurt for him to tell a little lie; especially since it was for the better, right?

With this idea in mind, he rapped softly against the wood.

"Come in," was the command.

Mokuba opened and peeked his head in. "Hey Seto."

Seto looked up and nodded. "I see you've returned, Mokuba. Mind telling me where you ran off to?"

The younger grimaced. The scale tilted. "I got bored, so I went over to the Game Shop."

The brunet frowned at the mention. Nevertheless, he would let Mokuba's transgression slide this time. "So? What are those losers up to?"

"They're planning on going on vacation for break. And, uh…"

The frown deepened. Anyone with a tad of intelligence could see where this was going.

Taking in courage, the boy continued, "I was invited."

The unasked question hung in the air. Mokuba knew that he did not have much of chance, but he was willing to risk it.

"No," Seto tried to finalize. Mokuba opened his mouth to retort, but the brunet cut him off. "I don't feel comfortable having you run around unsupervised."

"But Seto, you were invited too!"

The CEO smirked. Of course he was. The geeks always had some speech about friendship and such. He reached out to his cup of coffee. "By Yugi, I presume?" He was in mid-sip when Mokuba replied.

"Nope. By Joey."

Seto nearly choked. He turned his head away from Mokuba and coughed to the side.

With his sights off, he was unable to catch the knowing smirk on the boy's face.

Of course _that_ would surprise the brunet. He and the mutt weren't exactly amiable by **any** means.

"He also said that he bets that you'd chicken out," Mokuba added. He recognized very well that he won. Seto never backed down from a challenge, providing that it had no chance of ruining his reputation.

Seto's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did he now?" His tone was low. "Well, I think we should disappoint him." He smirked to himself.

The younger internally cheered. This was way too easy.

"So, what time will we be leaving?"

Mokuba barely restrained a flinch. It occurred to him that the celebration was premature. The fight was only halfway over.

"Ah, well," He shuffled his feet. "Joey said he would be here around seven tomorrow morning."

"Oh? We will be riding with the mutt?" He thought it over.

The disadvantages would be stuck with the mongrel for the duration of the car ride. However, he would be able to tease and taunt the blond during the entire trip.

As Seto escaped his thoughts, it dawned on him that Mokuba had been speaking.

"-and he's not a bad driver. Not that I've driven with him before, but I've seen him and he only ran over the curb-" He bumbled

"It's fine, Mokuba."

"There wasn't much of scratch and…what?" Did he just heard Seto right?

The CEO held a ghost of a smile. "I said it's fine. As long as he stays out of my way," He added in the last part.

Mokuba broke out to a smile, but for multiple reasons. He didn't think he would hear the same words come out from the other's mouth.

He ran up to his brother and hugged him. "Thank you! You won't regret it!" He scrambled to the door. "I'll go pack my bag."

"Pack warmly!" Seto called out.

After closing the door behind, Mokuba practically jumped for joy. Not only was he going to hang out with his friends, it was obvious that Seto will not be able to do any work; not with Joey around anyway.

Another smirk made way on his face. Maybe, _just maybe_, he could use this trip to his benefit.

He dreamt about his brother and Joey at least tolerating each other. And now, he could use this vacation to do so.

_Plan Seto-and-Joey: Best Friends Forever is a go!_

Though satisfied with his plan, he knew that he couldn't do it alone. With that in mind, he went off to make a few phone calls.

* * *

**A/N:** That was the end of chapter of one. Love it? Hate it? Let me know.


	2. Truce Through Gritted Teeth

**A/N:** Finally! This chapter gave me a lot of trouble.

I want to thank those who reviewed! I'm sorry that I didn't get to reply all to those who did. But I still loved them anyhow. And I appreciate those that pointed out some of my mistakes. Especially with Téa's name. :D Thank you!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Reviews will be loved.

* * *

"Good Saturday Morning, Domino City! It's 6:30 AM and the weather is fab-ulous!"

Joey slammed a hand on the alarm clock. He squeezed his eyes tight before blinking them open groggily. Taking notice that he still wore his school uniform, he tensed. The russet eyes jumped to the door.

He hastily staggered up and stalked towards the door. A hand extended to the knob and the blond inhaled deeply. _Click._ A relieved sigh escaped.

_The door was still locked_, Joey thought.

It was not unusual for his father to barge in and take whatever he wanted for his gambling games. To prevent this, or at least be warned of it, Joey had replaced the old passage doorknob with a privacy one. However, sometimes he forgot to lock it and waking up in the previous day's attire was a sign of it.

Luckily, this was not the case today.

He turned around and scanned the area. He considered his bedroom one of his favorite places of the apartment. Not only did it provide a haven, it was also the cleanest room of the complex.

It was not clean by most people's standards, but compared with the rest of the residence, it took the trophy.

He grunted as he placed both hands behind his back and pressed firmly; succeeding in popping his back.

He had considered buying a bed frame to support the mattress and a new box-spring. However, money was scarce and he usually found more important things to buy.

Deciding on today's morning schedule, he walked over to his dresser and began rummaging through it. He pulled out clean boxers and relatively fresh pair of socks.

Then he headed to the closet. It used to have a sliding door, but the door had a nasty habit of dislodging (which led to its complete removal.) His hands found a pair of jeans and a plain yellow shirt.

Satisfied with what he had, he ambled to the conjoint bathroom. Another thing he loved about his room. It had the necessities with space, albeit a bit cramped.

After fully emerging into the room of bath, he closed and locked the door behind him. Tossing his clothes on the sink's counter, he began to remove his own clothing.

He kicked off his shoes and set them beside the toilet. How he managed to sleep with sneakers on was anyone's guess.

With the removal of his jacket and pants, he dug through the pockets; emptying out their contents. He extracted his wallet, Tristan's car key, some lint, and…a condom?

Eyes widened at the object and then narrowed. He could only think of one person who would put **that** in his pocket. He needed to have a talk with _her_ about putting unwanted items in people's pockets.

Following the exclusion of the rest of his clothes, he turned on the shower. He waited a few seconds for the water to warm up before entering.

Scalding water forced the blond to hiss in pain. He impulsively twisted his body in order to avoid the drops. Seconds later, the water cooled to glacial. It seemed Joey and a warm shower were never meant to be.

"What a way to start the day," he mumbled.

Within five minutes, he had finished showering and began dressing. He grabbed one of the smaller towels to dry his hair. He yanked out a toothbrush from its holder. Swiftly, he brushed the pearly whites.

While exiting the bathroom, a phone's ring reached his ears.

He scrambled around the room; trying to find the cordless phone. It apparently decided to hide in the space between the wall and the mattress.

Quickly pressing the 'Talk' button, he answered, "Wheeler residence."

"Geez, took you long enough," Tristan ragged.

Joey grinned. "I was in the shower, jerk. What're ya doin'?"

"I'm over at Téa's to help her with her suitcase." A voice in the background shouted something at the brunet. "And she says get Serenity before you come over." There was more commotion. "She also says get breakfast."

The blond rolled his eyes. "I bet she says, 'Moo' too." He grinned again at the other's laughter. "I guess I'll have to get _both_food and Kaiba."

Tristan laughed again. "Alright. I'll see you later."

"See ya," he replied before hanging up.

Joey sighed. He _loved_ having the honor of being errand boy. _Oh well_, he thought. _Can't be helped._

With that in mind, he set off to finish his to-do list. The hair-towel was tossed into a corner.

He returned to his closet and pulled out a suitcase. Although it seemed more for an overnight than a one week trip, Joey did not have much to pack.

The suitcase was thrown unto the mattress and was unzipped. Numerous Ziploc bags littered the bottom. Each was labeled with its respectable item. He fished out the bags and set them aside.

Then Joey set about filling the suitcase up. Boxers and socks were the bottom layer. A few pairs of jeans and shirts made up the middle. And the top layer held the Ziploc bags containing things like shampoo and deodorant (which he had thankfully used before packing).

Satisfied with his masterpiece, he attempted to zip the bag up. Of course, fate decided to give the poor blond a harder time. He finally managed to secure the bag after putting forth all of his weight on it.

_Now_ satisfied with his work, he craned his neck towards clock. It blared '6:50 AM'.

_Not bad timing,_ he thought. _I might be a little for the Kaiba's though_.

He meandered back in the bathroom. He snatched his worn-out green jacket, which had been hanging on the back of the door, and threw it on. A glance at the mirror told him that he looked as good as he could get. _At least with this ugly mug._

Joey shook his head of such thoughts. He had better things to do than wallow in self-pity.

He seized the objects on the counter and positioned each in various pockets (excluding the condom that he blatantly ignored.)

Deciding that brushing his hair would be a vain effort, he marched out of the bathroom.

_What else…what else._

After figuring he had everything, he grabbed the suitcase and his pre-packed schoolbag.

Since he had given up on homework, he used the backpack more for storage. It contained mainly items that the blond held dear. Things he did not want in his father's grasp.

Mr. Wheeler was certainly not the worst father on the planet. Still, he fell short for the semi-finals of a great dad.

With his father in mind, Joey considered to at least leave the man a note; explaining where he would be. If he remained home long enough to detect that the teen was missing. _Nah, he won't notice_. The note idea flew out of the window.

He left the refuge of the bedroom with the baggage in hand. A faint whiff of alcohol invaded his senses.

The blond attempted to tiptoe down the hall. It was uncertain whether the older Wheeler inhabited the apartment at the time or not. However, Joey did not feel eager to find out.

Alas, try as he might, a foot nudged an empty bottle; causing it to roll and collide with another. The _clank_ exploded in the teen's ears. Adrenaline took over and it came down to 'stand around and find out' or 'get the hell out of there'. Joey chose the latter.

He scampered down the rest of the hallway, turned, and left the apartment. The front door was left wide open.

It was one of the few pluses when it came to being so low on the social scale. _Like, there's much shit to steal._

When he was a little away from the development, he switched from a walk-run to a stroll. He slung the backpack over his shoulder while he tightened his grip on the suitcase.

The neighborhood wasn't exactly notorious for being very genial. He considered himself lucky that no one was out and about now. Despite that, it was the place Joey considered home.

He grew up around this part of the city. He knew every corner, every alley. The places to avoid; the places that provided safety. Where the druggies dealt and where the prostitutes stood.

_Speaking of hookers_, he thought as the aroma of perfume reached his nostrils. The heaviness of it caused a dull ache in the blond's nasal cavity. The scent got stronger with each foot gained.

_Who would be up streetwalking so early?_

As he turned the corner, he spotted a figure standing on the sidewalk. He paused, but then recognized the person.

He put on his grin and walked over. "If I didn't know any better, Tammy, I'd say ya never went home."

The woman sharply looked up at him. A bright smile adorned her face. "Oh hush, kid." She swiped her hand dismissively. "I got an owl comin' in."

Although her garments were _questionable_, Joey still found her good-looking. Her curly brunette hair was tied back, showing off her well-formed face. The color of her eyes was an odd shade of bright green. But it did not matter **how** gorgeous she looked; he considered her to be more of sister.

"Geez, this early? He better be paying well."

She sighed in exhaustion. "No kiddin'. I finally get ta sleep in my own bed and I get a call." She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of it, I want ta thank you for watchin' Chris last night."

Joey shook his head. "Nah, it was nothin'. Speaking of which, quit putting condoms in my pockets."

The woman giggled. "Why not, kid? Ya need it more than I do." She got a grimace which caused her to snigger again.

He knew Tammy from what it felt like forever. Of course, she had not always been a call girl.

She got knocked up during college and was forced to drop out. When the guy took off, she ended up working three dead-end jobs. In the meantime, she and Joey crossed paths at a bus stop back when he was just a middle schooler.

Since then, the blond helped out in any way he could: buying the groceries, help her move out, or babysitting her daughter.

He knew that she was older than him, but he couldn't really place on _how_ old. She looked to be in the mid-late 20s. Then again, every time he asked her, he received the "it's rude to ask a lady her age" lecture.

"Anyway, where're you heading off to?" Tammy asked. She placed her hands on both of her hips in a questioning manner. "Not runnin' away, are ya?"

A grin broke out. "Going on a trip with some friends."

"Close enough." She shrugged coolly. "Ya need to hurry up, marry a rich broad, and get on out of here."

"And you," he started. He mimicked her hands-on-the-hips movement. "Need to hurry up, marry a doctor, and live in a three story house with five dogs." They both laughed at the little inside joke.

They used to tease with each other on how they were going to escape from their lives. Though they knew that they were going to be stuck there until they were dead, they couldn't help but long for a better future.

Tammy feigned hurt. "Well, for your information, I have a date with Chris's doctor next week."

"Like, an actual date-date?" The girl nodded. "Hey, congrats!"

Before she could respond, a car began pulling up. Joey couldn't tell what kind of car it was. He just knew that it looked expensive.

"This is him." Her tone dropped its cheerfulness. "Ya better scat."

Joey nodded. "Yeah. Be careful." He gave her a quick hug. With that, he brushed past her and continued down the street.

He looked back in time to see her clamber in the backseat. Something lurched inside of him.

He had decided long ago that he would be willing to give up _his_ better future, so she could have hers.

Deciding he wasted enough time, he turned around and carried on with the present.

* * *

"He's late," Seto growled.

Mokuba flinched at the tone. "It's only 7:20."

Seto Kaiba was a prompt kind of guy. He had an agenda to live by and a single minute wasted was a minute lost.

They stood on the front porch with their suitcases. The younger Kaiba insisted that they wait outside. After much resistance and puppy-eyes, Seto complied. He began regretting that he even agreed to this trip in the first place.

"Any later and we're canceling."

And as if on cue, a car pulled up on the driveway.

The CEO raised an eyebrow at it. It barely qualified in his book as a 'decent ride'. It was too regular for his taste.

The vehicle stopped and out popped the blond. He walked up the stairs and stood in front of the Kaiba's.

As Joey opened his mouth to greet them, Seto cut it. "You're late, mutt."

The other scowled. "Well, you're not the only one I had to pick up." He pointed over his shoulder towards the car.

The brunet simply looked over Joey's head. Sure enough, the Wheeler sister sat asleep in the backseat.

"Anyway," Joey continued. "Top of the evening to ya." His tone was mildly sarcastic.

Seto gritted his teeth. "Morning," he corrected.

Mokuba grinned at his brother's attempt to be pleasant. "Good morning!" He chirped.

"Heya, sport." He placed his hand on the pre-teen's head and ruffled his hair. "Ready to go?"

The boy instantly perked up. "You bet I am!"

Joey grinned at the enthusiasm. "Then get in the car already." He thumped the smaller one's back and lightly pushed him towards the car. "There're doughnuts in there."

Mokuba's eye lit up. "Sugar!" He yelled as he scurried.

The blond cocked his head towards the brunet and noticed a flat frown. "I'm guessin' Mokuba plus sugar equals danger?"

The CEO turned his attentions away from his brother and made eye contact with Joey. "Let's put it this way, when he's sugar-high, he's all yours." He smirked.

"Fine. Just for that, you get to carry your _own_ bag." And with that, Joey picked the suitcase that featured a silver engraving of 'Mokuba Kaiba'. He turned around and heaved the case to the car.

That caused the brunet to pause. Was the mutt going to get the entire luggage? _Well, not anymore._

Seto followed suit with his bag and followed the other as Joey propped open the trunk. He lifted the travel case and proceeded to stuff in the trunk.

Seto closed in on the trunk and eyes slightly widened. Next to the average sized suitcases (belonging to Mokuba and Serenity), was a small valise.

"Is that all you have?" He asked. "What do you have? A pair of socks?" Though his tone came off as mocking, he would be lying if he said that he wasn't a **little** concerned.

Of course, Joey didn't know that.

Furious eyes glared at the older teen. "I have enough," he replied gruffly. He stole Seto's case and jammed it in with the others. Then, he slammed the trunk shut and stalked to the driver's side of the car.

Seto pondered for a moment. _So, I overestimated the Wheeler income._ He shrugged his shoulders in indifference. It did not really bother him. Well, not **too** much anyway.

* * *

"He's late," Téa growled. Or rather, her stomach growled. "I'm so hungry," she whined.

"That's what you get for putting Joey on breakfast duty," Tristan chastised.

Ignoring the brunet, Téa continued her gripe. "I bet he's happily chewing on a chocolate doughnut right now."

"You forget that he's stuck with Kaiba," Duke added.

Everyone lounged around in Yugi's living room. Duke, Ryou, and Bakura dominated the couch whilst Yugi and Yami took the armchairs. Tristan obtained the center coffee table. Téa opted to stand by the doorway; the world be damned if she wasn't going to get food soon.

"Speaking of Kaiba," Yami initiated. "Are we really going to go with Mokuba's plan?"

"Yeah. Making those two become 'best friends' sounds more like a suicide mission," Bakura scorned.

Duke raised his hand. "I have to agree with the psycho. I'm not really fond of getting in between _that_ crossfire."

"Yes well," Ryou started timidly. "I believe friendship is asking for too much in such little time."

Yugi nodded. "Well, we could at least try to get them to tolerate each other."

Tristan hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it would be nice if they didn't bite each other's heads off when they're in the same room."

Then, the door's bell rang: signaling either a potential customer or…

"Food!" Téa shouted.

However, her shout was soon overpowered by more powerful yelling.

"And quit calling me that!" came Joey barked.

"I'll quit when you start wearing a muzzle." Seto wasn't shouting, but his voice was more raised than usual.

The two entered the room wearing anger. Behind them, their siblings followed them somberly.

Serenity sat next to Tristan and leaned against him. The brunet gave her a sympathetic smile. The poor girl looked like she was lacking in the sleeping department and slightly irate herself. Naturally, they missed emerald eyes narrowing at their proximity.

Mokuba chose the floor by Yugi's chair. He inclined against the seat; closing his eyes.

"So, how long have they been fighting?" Tristan asked.

The auburn haired girl gave the floor a light glare. "Since they were **both** in the car."

To avoid getting attacked herself, Téa backed away from the entrance. Nonetheless, her stomach argued. Giving in, "Joey! Where are the doughnuts?"

Joey turned his glare from Seto to the brunette. It eased though, when he saw her flinch. "I must've forgotten it in the car. I'll go get it." The blond left.

Without the mutt to glower at, Seto found the ceiling very appealing.

The blond soon returned with three boxes of pastries and set them on the table. They were to be devoured within minutes.

"So, what's the plan?" Joey asked as he sat on the arm of the couch on Duke's side. He felt somewhat in a better mood, now that he had food and that Seto decided to hover on the other side of the room.

Yugi smiled. "Well, car arrangements still stand." He earned a groan of protest from both Joey and Seto.

At successfully jamming food into her mouth at last, Téa added her bit with her normal exuberance, "And about halfway to the motel, we're meeting at a diner called Soda Pops & Mamoosa." Her attention fell on Serenity and Duke. "Do you two have your cell phones?"

The girl nodded leisurely. "Yeah. And it's fully charged too," came her sleepy reply.

"Of course _he_ does. It's practically attached to his hip," Tristan answered for Duke. Duke huffed in retaliation.

Téa clapped. "Alrighty then! It's time to move out!"

The gang started to amble out; some more animated than others.

Seto remained where he was and watched wearily as the others passed him. He waited till Joey was within whispering earshot. "Hey, Wheeler."

The blond stopped with narrow eyes. He decided to not tell the brunet to shove off since he had _so_ kindly used his name. "Yeah?"

"Look, I don't like you and you don't like me, right?" He obtained a nod in response. "That's fine. But I want this trip to be enjoyable for Mokuba and I think you want the same for your sister."

It took a few clicks for Joey to understand the situation. He outreached a hand. "Truce, then?"

"Until this godforsaken vacation is over," Seto clarified.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Until the trip's over."

The CEO smirked. He took the given hand. "Then we have a truce."

* * *

**A/N:** That's the end of chapter two. I apologize if Joey's part seemed rushed in some places. I mean, I typed almost 4 1/2 pages and Joey was still home! And this chapter is more like a filler than anything else. Oh well.

The diner Téa is referring to does not exist. D: I was just trying to make a name for a diner and "Mom and Pop's" seemed to cliché. So, I chose what I call my grandparents. I know, they're cool like that. Just for reference, Mamoosa is pronounced May-moose-ah.

Anywho, that's chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it and reviews will be loved.


	3. Calling the Dogs Off

**A/N:** Oh man, I finished this a lot later than I wanted too. And it's shorter than the previous. Sorry guys. School decided to eat my life. It still continues to do so.

And, as I've found out, it's not a good idea to write under extreme tiredness. I ended up with "MAN-KEI" written all over my notebook. -_-

* * *

"It's 6 AM today on a Saturday. The weather will be mostly sunny with a chance of clouds later in the afternoon. The temperature is-"

Azure eyes shot open and a hand swiped the alarm clock off the nightstand. Seto glared at heinous crime of nature on the floor. He _hated_ it when mornings came too soon.

He pitched the blankets off and sat on the edge of his bed. He buried his face into his hands. His mind reeled on today's agenda. A dull feeling of forgetting something loomed.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he answered as he looked up.

The door swung open and Mokuba peeked in. "Hey, Seto." His tone showed timidity. The younger knew that his brother wasn't simply not a 'morning person'. No, the older was not a 'waking up person'.

A ghost of smile made way on the brunet's face. "Morning," he replied tiredly.

Seeing that his brother was not in the worst of moods, he entered the bedroom completely.

It did not take an idiot to figure out that the bedroom's color scheme was modeled after the Blue Eyes White Dragon. The flowing curtains were white with blue trims. The covers on the bed alternated between the two colors. It was surprising that the wooden flooring hadn't been replaced with colored tiles.

"Did you sleep well?" Mokuba asked, already knowing the answer as he judged Seto's face.

"No more than usual."

The pre-teen frowned at this. The 'usual' consisted of staying up till the early morning and waking up with as much as four hours of sleep.

His older brother's habits worried him. Even the strongest of men had their limits. And it scared Mokuba that Seto would reach his…added with devastating effects. After all, the CEO was _still_ considered human.

"Maybe you can catch up on sleep this trip?"

The brunet frowned. _That_ was what he forgot. Here he thought today was going to be a good day.

"We'll see," Seto mumbled. Noticing that the other was still in his pajamas, he returned to his usual self and ordered, "Mokuba, get dressed. After you're done, gather your luggage and take them downstairs."

"Yes, sir!" Mokuba mockingly saluted and scampered out.

Seto watched the other until the door was closed. Hands rubbed his face and his eyes in dread.

As clouds of sleep drifted away, recollections of yesterday's events invaded.

After he begrudgingly agreed to the trip, the CEO spent the rest of the night and the early hours of next morning rearranging his entire month's schedule. He made countless phone calls, sent dozens of emails, and postponed all of the business meetings (much to chagrin of his employees and associates.)

Deciding that he better get a move on as well, he began his morning ritual.

First things first, a shower. He sauntered to the conjoint bathroom. It was a spacious room with the necessities as well as the luxury of a separate jet bathtub.

Although Seto looked like a man of cleanliness, his affection of shower was nonexistent. He did not mind the bathing aspect of it. It was that it gave him too much time to think. To think about personal affairs, his future, questions he would never dare to ask.

Following the stripping of his silken night clothes, he stepped into the tub and met lukewarm droplets. While proceeding with the cleansing his hair, as hard as he tried, concepts of the trip plagued him.

He was well aware that he would have to be stuck with the mutt during the driving portions. That bothered him.

Their personalities fought tooth and claw. Seto was a logical, calculating authoritarian with discipline. Joey, on the other hand, was a stubborn, immature punk with undeniable charm. …and he was annoying.

The brunet craned his neck to check the clock overhead. It read '6:40'. The teen scowled. Mokuba probably wondered if Seto had drowned by now.

He quickly ended the shower, dried himself off, and stepped out. A towel clung to his hips.

He began phase two of the morning rite: grooming.

Through precision and grace, he yanked a blow-dryer from its home in the cabinet underneath the sink. If he let his hair dry naturally, it looked similar to Mokuba's. Something that was ill-fitting for a president of a huge company.

His finished up phase two with the hygiene of his teeth.

Step Three commenced: dressing.

He gathered the discarded clothes, and reentered his bedroom. Once he tossed them into a laundry basket, he strolled over to his bed where clothes were laid out. Judging by the style, Mokuba probably picked them out.

The pants were nice dress jeans. That did not bother him so much, though he preferred dress slacks. The shirt was a sky-blue button up with a tribal design on it. Seto couldn't really make out what the design was supposed to be, but he guessed either a dragon or Big Bird. He favored the dragon more.

He looked into the full length mirror. _I suppose it'll do._

And with that thought in mind, Seto's last and favorite step of his routine: coffee.

The CEO exited out of his room. He sighed in exhaustion. Knowing Mokuba, the boy would suggest they sit outside and wait. He was the type of person that as soon as they were ready to leave, he had better be leaving. Staying outside was close enough.

Of course, Seto minded not waiting outside. He was a tad anxious himself.

As a man who liked to know the outcomes of situations, he looked at the idea of this 'vacation' not too fondly.

It was bad enough that he would be stuck with the losers' brigade for a whole week. But the addition of being forced to tolerate the mutt was like insult to injury.

He concluded that a truce would have to be made. _Only until after the trip_, he attached.

Accompanied by this thought, he continued to walk along the empty corridors.

With only the echo of his footsteps as his company.

* * *

It surprised Seto that Joey agreed to the armistice so eagerly. He expected the blond to kick and scream before reluctantly giving in.

He supposed he had Serenity and Mokuba to thank. When it came to his sister, Joey was a doormat. It probably was the same way with Mokuba.

Still, he was wrong with his prediction. And he didn't like it.

"So, anyone got a clue 'bout this place?" Joey's voice disturbed his thoughts.

_Well, speak of the devil._

The CEO opened his mouth to affront the other on his ignorance, but closed it instantly. Seto refused to be the first to break the truce. That would be the mutt's undoing.

"Well, I think it _may_ have something to do with snow and ice…" Serenity trailed off. A small smile plastered on her face.

Joey grinned. "Don't be such a smartass. I am your carriage after all." He glanced in the rearview mirror to catch his sister sticking her tongue at him.

"Speaking of the cold, did you pack a coat?" She asked.

"As a matter of fact," he started.

"Your green rag doesn't count."

He gave a nervous chuckle. Talking about _this_ was awkward by itself. But to discuss it in front of Mr. 'I-make-a-million-dollars-an-hour', it was nerve-wracking. To be showed up so early in game was unacceptable.

Finally deciding on his excuse, "I figured that I'd just take Tristan's. He's a big sissy when it comes to cold, so he won't need it." Before Serenity could retort, he meandered the topic. "Where's your trench, anyway? I hardly ever saw ya without one."

It took a second for Seto to realize that the blond spoke to _him_. However, Mokuba had already beaten him in answering.

"He thinks that without his coat, people won't recognize him," he said with a hint of amusement.

The hilarity leaked on Joey also as a smirk broke out on his face. "Fancy yourself as an inverse Clark Kent?"

The brunet cocked a brow. "Pardon?"

The blond responded, "Without the trenchcoat, he's a regular guy like you and me." His tone mimicked a narrator's. His fingers drum rolled against the steering wheel. "But with it, he's Kaibaman!"

Howls of laughter pierced the car. Joey attempted to control his under control while Mokuba let all reserve. Serenity giggled politely into her hand. And what of Seto?

At first, he felt offended by nature. It surely was not a compliment, so therefore, in his mind, it was an insult. Thinking that, the brunet readied himself to throw a few of his own.

However, he noted that any hint of maliciousness could not have been found in Joey's tone. It was more playful; friendly. _Teasing_.

Seto could play that game. "So, that makes you what? Joey the Blond Wonder?"

"Hey! What makes ya think I'm the sidekick?"

The use of the first name went unnoticed between the two boys. On the other hand, it rang like a siren to the backseat passengers.

Ignoring the boys' bickering, Serenity turned towards Mokuba. "Did you hear that, too?" She whispered.

The younger Kaiba faced her as well. He simply nodded.

It came as quite a stun to him. He _knew_ his brother well enough to know that Seto seldom used others' first names. The CEO called people by last name, nickname, or not at all. It was only Mokuba and a few strays that had the 'honor' of being on first name basis.

"No offense, but I'm thinking that your plan will be unneeded," she added.

Mokuba's face contorted in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she hesitated. "We've been on the road for a couple hours now. And they yet really argued."

Anyone would be lying through their teeth if they said they expected the duo to inhabit in this proximity without one strangling the other.

Of course, the trip was still young.

They drove for two and half hours so far. According to Téa, they still had three hours to go before they reached their first pit stop.

On that note, Serenity revolved her attention back to the boys. She waited until the opportune moment to barge in.

"Quick! To the Kaibacave!" Joey shouted. His snickers were accompanied by Mokuba's.

Seto rolled his eyes. "I believe that is quite enough," he said firmly.

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, I'll just get ya later. We still got a whole week ahead of us." He fleeting looked at his passenger with a wide grin and caught a smirk in return.

Taking the silence into her own hands, Serenity coughed to gather attention. "I think we should concern ourselves with getting there first. How are we doing road-wise?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." Joey's eyebrows furrowed. "Téa's the only one who knows the way."

"Then why isn't she in front?" Seto asked skeptically.

Their unit left the Muto house first. They kept the lead until their entourage met the highway. Duke and his 'fancy-schmancy' red convertible zoomed by, though they later had to slow down. Meanwhile, Téa's van kept tail behind Joey.

"Are you kiddin'? If her car went any slower, she could enter it in a _special_ car show!"

"Joey!" Serenity reprimanded.

He grunted in reply, "S'true."

Then they fell into silence. Exhaustion and irritation weighed too heavily on the group as the trip flew on.

Mokuba and Serenity found a pack of cards and began playing a series of card games. They used the pulled-out armrest as their table.

Seto preoccupied himself with either staring outside or reading a book. The book's cover lacked a title, so Joey decided that it was erotica (though he knew that was very unlikely).

All in all, the trip was normal and dull.

However, as trees and mountains ate away the buildings and cars, Joey suspected that the trip was bound to take a sharp turn.

After all, smooth sailing was never an option on the blond's list.

* * *

**A/N:** Not much, but I promise the next one will get their relationship rolling. Anyway, as usual, reviews are always appreciated, but faves and alerts are cool too.


	4. Lord Love a Duck

**A/N:** Would you guys believe that I wrote this entire chapter today in one sitting? Yeah, I wouldn't either. And this chapter was actually going be longer too. But I decided ten pages on Word was enough.

And thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted. They gave me this warm and fuzzy feeling like I just ate a kitten.

Consider this as my Valentine's Day gift from me to you. I hoped you enjoyed yours! And I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"Mokuba, does it _look_ like we're there?" Joey hollered. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror to spot the preteen pouting.

The younger Kaiba whined, "But Joey! I'm bored and I need to pee."

The blond couldn't blame the kid. They have been on the road for nearly five and a half hours without a single stop. However, sympathy went out only so far.

"Well, it's not like I'm havin' the time of my life either," he mumbled.

"Like anyone is," Seto chimed in.

_True_, Joey thought as he scanned his companions of the vehicle.

Serenity kept herself busy by playing with the loose strings of her hoodie. She braided, twirled, and curled the strings and sighed every so often. This worked for an hour or so before she settled for staring out the window. The sighing continued.

Mokuba played solitaire for a good while. Nonetheless, after the fifteenth consecutive win, he gave up and decided to pester the driver. Joey loved the kid, but he was prepared to tie him to the hood of the car at this point.

When Seto wasn't staring outside the window or throwing his two cents on Joey's driving, he read the dubbed-erotica. From the thinning of his lips and narrowed eyes, it was obvious that he too was tired of the car ride.

Joey was simply irritated. Between the sighs, the pestering, and the criticism, he was ready to stop the car and hitchhike back to Domino City. So what if he had to become friends with a truck driver named Sally or help a dancing bear find his hat? It would be well worth it.

_Wait…what?_

Then, Serenity's cell phone rang. It forced three of the car's occupants to jump. Seto continued to read his pornography with a raised brow.

"Téa," she announced.

"Speaker phone," Joey ordered.

After putting the phone on speaker, she tossed a 'hello' and held the phone between the two front seats. She and Mokuba scooted closer to hear.

"Hey guys! How are you holding up?" Yugi's voice called out.

Joey grinned despite himself. He missed conversing. "Heya Yug. It's all good. How's it goin' with Bakura?"

The other boy groaned. "Let's just say that it has been an interesting experience. One that I had no desire to experience." Maniacal laughter erupted in the background. "See what I mean?"

Joey snickered. "Sorry, man." Before he could say anymore, Seto pitched in.

"Is there a reason why you called?" The CEO asked. His tone seemed rather unfriendly.

"Kaiba!" The blond hissed. It was promptly ignored.

There was a pause on the other side. Finally, a light bulb went off. "Oh yeah!" Yugi exclaimed. "We should be arriving at the diner in a few minutes. Be on the look out for it on the right."

Multiple forms of joy exploded in the car. Joey and Mokuba cheered wildly whilst Serenity clapped. Seto smirked in triumph; he survived this long without killing someone.

"That's my kind of news," Joey chirped.

Seto nodded. "Mine as well." He turned his attention to the phone. "Then I suppose we will be seeing you soon."

"Yep! See you guys then!" Next he hung up.

The brunet returned the phone to its owner and received small thanks.

"Food! Bathroom! Land!" It sounded almost like Mokuba had a seizure back there.

The blond couldn't blame the kid though. After all, he wasn't having the time of his life either.

* * *

Apparently, the diner was on the right if someone was coming **back** from the ski resort. And the gang went from the other direction.

So, about everyone completely missed the bistro.

After being told that the diner was close, Duke and Tristan decided to speed up and beat the others. However, since they were told to look out on the right, they zoomed by without notice.

Joey and company were luckier. As they passed it, Serenity pointed out the correct location. They were able to make a U-turn a couple miles away.

Téa, realizing her mistake, made it just fine at the eatery. She made phone calls to the other two drivers. Joey was on his way back while Duke responded with very colorful words.

The special van's tenants stood around in the parking lot; most silently stretching after such a long trip. They waited for the others to arrive.

It seemed like Bakura decided to get into a staring contest with the diner. It was just so _boring_. It reminded him of those old pictures Ryou showed him in a history book. The only thing about it that interested him was the giant neon sign which screamed, 'Soda Pop and Mamoosa's'. However, since it was the middle of the day and the sign was off, his interest lasted short.

Bored with the silence, he sparked up a conversation. "So, what's the food like?"

Téa faced the other and dwelled in thought. "Basically typical diner food. Breakfast stuff and burgers."

"I guess that _will_ have to do." He then received a smack on the back of his head. "Ow! Ryou!"

The said-white haired boy's lips thinned. "Bakura, don't be rude. Must I go over the 'How-to-be-Proper-Guest' manual again?"

Bakura gulped. When it came to manners, Ryou was practically a drill sergeant. The last lesson was about good table manners and Bakura was forced to rearrange the silverware for two hours. He was surely not ready to go through that torture again.

"No, I'll behave," he said reluctantly. He looked away and caught Yami's smirk. "Oh shut up! You're practically whipped!"

Before the Pharaoh retorted, Yugi interjected. "How's the management?" It was poor attempt at the changing the subject, but it did its job.

Glad that a fight ended before it started, Téa sighed in relief. "Well, the owners are this really nice elderly couple." Her face suddenly changed to wistful. "And their son's the waiter."

"Caught your eye, didn't he?" Yami asked amusedly.

Bakura scowled. "Eww. Girl germs." His reply was followed by Ryou elbowing him.

She sighed again. "Yeah, but like every other guy I know, he doesn't swing that way." A short silence lingered before she spoke again. "But he did say that he would if I was a boy."

Yugi cocked an eyebrow at the weird comment. "Why is that?"

"He's a total sucker for brunets with blue eyes."

Bakura smirked sinisterly. "Oh really now?" His tone contained a prospect of mischievousness.

Yami quickly caught it. "What are you planning, tomb robber?"

"Since I did so well in the car, I believe that I do deserve some fun," he said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I bet he probably deserves it."

On cue, Tristan's car pulled into the parking lot.

Once it stopped, all four doors opened immediately. Joey popped out first with his face contorted with annoyance.

"I told ya for the last time! It wasn't my fault!" He yelled.

"Oh great," Téa groaned. "Five bucks says it's Kaiba."

Yugi shook his head. "That's a dead bet."

They stood and watched the event unfold.

"You could've at least given us a warning!" Serenity shouted back as she jumped out. "Now they're everywhere in the backseat."

The other four stared blankly. Serenity and Joey?

"Well!" The blond placed both hands on his hips in an almost motherly fashion. "If you two would've put the cards backed in the box when ya're done with them, they wouldn't have spilled."

When Mokuba poked out of the car, Serenity pointed an accusing finger. "It's his fault!"

"Is not!" The younger Kaiba snapped back.

"I don't care whose fault it is! Someone needs to pick 'em up!"

Finally, Seto emerged. His expression lined between weariness and frustration. He walked over to the four. A frown graced his face before he curtly said to Yugi, "The next time you and friends decided to drag Mokuba and me on one of your escapades, we will be taking the limo."

The tri-colored haired teen slightly flinched. Feeling sorry for the CEO, "I'll go break it up," he suggested.

Watching his hikari walk off, Yami turned his attention to Seto. "Having fun yet?"

The brunet grunted. "It's like a family vacation with the wife and kids."

Yami's flat smile twitched into a small smirk. "Joey the Wife?" He asked rather…_suggestively_.

However, Seto was too tired to pick up on it. "With the way he's raving and ranting, he would make a good one."

"I heard that! I'll show ya 'wife', ya jerk!" Joey's anger aimed for the CEO now.

"No! Joey!" Yugi attempted to hold back the blond. Though he was of good nature, he slightly cursed Seto. When he _finally_ managed to calm Joey down, the brunet riled him back up.

Then, a car's honking caught their attention. Duke and his fancy-pants convertible pulled in. Without considering the fact that the lot was gravel, he drove in at regular speed. This resulted with small rock fragments to ding and scratch the car.

Another set of rainbow words left Duke's mouth.

Forgetting the wife comment, Joey erupted in laughter. "Good going, dice-boy!"

The raven-haired teen glared at the blond. "At least _I_ can afford to fix it!" He realized too late of his mistake.

A silence settled.

Joey's place on the economical ladder was not uncommon knowledge. It reared its head too frequent to be unnoticed. When it did pop up, the situation was either solved or compromised. The blond made out numerous I.O.U.'s, but no one thought of tallying him.

Tristan had already gotten out of the car and walk-ran to Duke's side. He made eye contact with Yugi, who still held on to Joey. They both knew how sensitive the teen was and _just_ how angry he could get.

However, his response surprised his friends (and Seto.) "Yeah? Well, I hope ya can afford all that gas you wasted when ya missed the diner by ten miles!"

"What? You missed it too!" Seeing that the blond wasn't going to bite his head off, Duke decided to continue to banter.

"Not as bad as you!"

Everybody felt relieved to have the tension lighten up. A feud could endanger the entire trip.

Téa clapped her hands to gather attention. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. How about we head inside?" She suggested. She met no protest.

She and Serenity led the way. Mokuba followed with others chattered excitedly behind him. Seto remained dead last.

As they ambled towards the door, Tristan matched his pace with Joey's. He grabbed a hold of the blond's arm and pulled him back. His action attracted two pairs of eyes to snap to them.

Before Tristan could say anything, Joey knew what was to be said. "Don't worry 'bout it. I ruffled his feathers first. I deserved it."

The brunet frowned. "Still. He should've known better." He quickly made eye contact with the green set of eyes. "I'll talk to him later."

Duke blushed out of embarrassment and turned away. He brushed past the others. Seto's interest remained intact.

"It's fine," Joey tried to soothe. "We all got our faults. Yugi has his naïveness, Téa's obsession with friendship, and me livin' off the wallet."

"But Joey!"

The blond glared at Tristan. "I've been hearin' all day about this and I'm sick of it. Drop it, Tris. I hold no hard feelings."

The two continued to walk as they left a dumbstruck CEO.

He stopped to process what Joey had said about faults. Even from a logical point of view, it didn't make sense.

A flaw of personality could rarely be fixed. Yugi would remain naïve for all his days. Téa would always be obsessed with camaraderie. It walked hand-in-hand with their personalities. But lack of money? That can be fixed. Unless…

_Unless he believes that he'll never get out of it._

Seto's eyes widened. He used to believe the same thing when he and Mokuba…maybe he and the mutt had something in common after all.

"Hey Moneybags! You comin' in or not?" Joey called out from the entryway.

The azure eyes narrowed. He strode to the blond and stood in front of him. "And here I thought we had a truce, _mutt_," he hissed.

Joey scowled. "And here I thought you wanted to be unknown. We're not the only ones here." He gestured to other parked cars.

Comprehending his error, Seto mumbled, "Sorry."

Joey merely smiled. "Apology accepted. Now let's go eat!" He stepped aside and bowed gentlemanly. "Dames first."

"Says the wife," Seto replied with a smirk as he pulled open the door. With a step in the doorway, he propped the door open for the blond.

"Quit sayin' that! I'll always be the man!" Joey stuck out his chest and pounded once with a closed fist.

The smirk grew. "I bet the woman you marry will be manlier than you."

"Oh, shut it!" He lightly shoved the brunet. His chuckles are accompanied by Seto snickering.

"Over here guys!" Téa's voice called out.

Joey scanned the room. It looked very old-time, yet modern. Small neon signs scattered about. One wall was decorated with license plates from various places. The diner was full of clanking, chatter, and a bell ding. The place smelled like cheeseburgers and milkshakes. This was Joey's kind of place.

He finally spotted the brunette and made a beeline for it with Seto in tow.

Because of their large group, they had been separated into three booths in the back. Téa, Serenity, Tristan, and Duke took the obligation to fill one. Yami, Bakura, Yugi, and Ryou took another. The last one was occupied only by Mokuba.

"Hey Joey. Come over here for a second," Serenity shouted.

While the blond walked to that booth, Seto aimed straight for Mokuba. Taking a seat across from his brother, his eyes met Mokuba's odd look.

"What?"

Mokuba looked behind to make that none of the others were eavesdropping. Afterward, he faced Seto. "Just **what** is going on between you and Joey?"

Seto raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"You guys hardly argued! When you did, it was more…friendly than anything." He looked flabbergasted. "Are you guys friends or something?"

"Hardly," Seto replied in a deadpan tone. "Perhaps we have found nothing to argue over yet." Spotting the blond walking over, he added in a louder, more animated tone, "Or maybe Joey has finally accepted that I'm his superior."

Mokuba contorted in confusion until he followed Seto's gaze. Seeing Joey as well, he quickly scooted over to give the teen space to sit.

As Joey took the offered seating, he replied, "Geez, Kaiba. Got enough ego to airborne a couple hundred blimps?"

Changing topics, Mokuba asked, "So, what did Serenity want you for?"

"Huh? Oh, Téa wanted me to go over the map with her before we leave. Apparently, there's one more stop before the motel. And it's a four hour drive," he groaned.

Girly squeals reached their ears. They turned towards Téa booth to see the brunette bear-hugging a waiter.

"It's so good to see you again!" Téa squealed again.

"I know! It's been like forever!" The guy replied. "Tell me, sweetie, how are you doing?"

No longer interested, he turned around and leaned sideways towards Mokuba. "That guy's a bit flamboyant, isn't he?"

The younger Kaiba giggled. "Like a fruit loop, eh?"

They laughed until Seto coughed for them to stop. "He's coming this way. Keep your wits."

When the waiter stood at their table, they got a better look at him. He was a redhead with dark brown eyes. He focused on Joey and Mokuba first. "Hello, I'm Niko and I'll be your waiter today. What would you guys like to drink?" He held up his notepad; ready to jot down orders.

"I'll take a chocolate milkshake," Joey replied.

"Um, do you have any other flavors?" Mokuba asked timidly.

Niko smiled at the boy's shyness. "Sure do, darling. We also have vanilla, strawberry, and banana."

"Think I can get a mix of vanilla and strawberry?"

"No problem!" He directed his attention to Seto. "And what would you-" He stared at the brunet with blue eyes. "Well hello. Téa didn't mention bringing any cuties over here. What's your name?"

Ignoring the flirtation, he said, "I would like black coffee and water."

Taken aback by the harsh tone, Niko wrote down the order. "I'll be back in a few." He scurried off.

Silence blanketed the booth.

At least until Mokuba whispered to Joey, "Did the waiter just hit on Seto?"

Joey smirked. "I believe so."

The CEO cleared his throat. "Back to our previous discussion, if you don't wish to drive, I could drive the rest of the way," he suggested.

"Nah." He shook his head. "You can drive to the gas station and I'll drive to the motel. That's only three and half hours."

Mokuba piped in, "Couldn't Serenity drive to the motel?"

The blond shook his head again. "Even after the surgery, she's practically blind as a bat at night."

Suddenly, a tray appeared in front of Joey.

"Here are your drinks," Niko said. His voice wasn't as animated as before. Rejection and he apparently did not get along very well.

He passed out the drinks and retook the tray. When he passed Yugi's booth, Niko took his a chance to smack Bakura at the back of head. "And he **wasn't** interested."

After he walked off, the gang laughed at Bakura's luck. Except for Seto, that is. He glared firmly at the thief.

Seeing the other's resentment, Joey soothed the brunet. "Don't worry about it. We'll get him later."

The glare softened. "Fine," he said stiffly.

Mokuba scrunched his brow at the two. If it was _this_ weird already, he could hardly wait for the rest of the trip.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that wraps up chapter four. I think it turned out rather nicely (or at least better than I thought it would.)

Anyway, reviews will always be appreciated, but favorites and alerts are cool too.

And I apologize for any and all grammar mistakes I may have made. They're so bothersome.


	5. Which Way the Wind Blows

**A/N:** Well, hello there. As you may or may not have noticed, I missed a week's update. Here's why: last week, my cousin was practically in surgery for nearly six days. And it was one of those things that you have to be there for. So, for a week, I pretty much lived at the hospital. And I just have this to say: hospital guest beds might as well be cots.

And I spent this previous week to catch up on all of the work I missed. But everything's well and my cousin is still kicking.

Despite that, I apologize for its lateness. Good news though! Spring break is coming up, so that means more updates! I've been itching for a break.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The rest of the meal went mostly uneventful. When the waiter took the lunch orders, he refused to glace at the brunet. The only thing of interest was when Tristan dared Bakura to drink his glass of soda in a one go under ten seconds, which resulted with the thief choking on an ice cube. And that resulted with Ryou's chastise and Yami's mocking.

"That idiot," Seto mumbled. He picked up his toast and bit into it. Originally, he was going to not order anything, but the power of Joey and Mokuba combined forced him to comply. _Speaking of the mutt_.

Since the brunet rejected Niko's attempt, Joey seemed bothered by the ordeal.

In truth, he was.

Though Joey did not know that guy personally, he still felt sympathy for the redhead. To be easily dismissed like that…it hurt. The blond knew that feeling all too well.

"Maybe you should apologize?" he suggested.

Seto's eyes landed hard on the other. "Are you referring to what's-his-name?"

"Niko. His name's Niko," Joey replied firmly. "And yeah, I'm talkin' 'bout him."

Mokuba then decided to squish himself to the farthest inch of his corner of the leathery booth. Seto dropped into a foul mood after the flirtation-fiasco. Luckily, he had his cheeseburger to preoccupy himself with. He also decided that this was a perfect opportunity to steal french fries off of Joey's plate. After all, the blond convinced him to order off the kid's menu.

"And give me one good reason why I should and how that benefits me." Seto jumped back into businessman mode. Spontaneity without profit meant nothing to the CEO. If he was going to do something, he was sure as hell going to get something out of it.

The blond's face fell into a scowl. His face leaned toward Seto's and he hissed, "Not everything you do should be for **your** benefit." His tone turned darker. "Now go and say sorry."

It did not take Seto long to weigh in his options. He could either tell Joey off and keep his pride, or suck it up and apologize. Considering the first would break the truce and make a sour mutt, he went with the second.

"Fine." Seto shifted and escape from the booth. He stood over the mutt while glaring. "I will." He then walked to the head of the diner.

As he passed the other two booths, a few members noticed him and gave him odd looks. With a mission to complete, he ignored them.

In the back of the bistro, an elderly woman stood behind the main counter, laughing with some of the customers as they sat on wheeling barstools. He assumed this was 'Mamoosa'.

Spotting the teen heading towards her, she turned her attention to him. "May I help you?" She asked with a sincere, granny smile.

She was a little-teapot of a woman. Her height gave little rivalry to Yugi's. Though she was 'big-boned', her body pulled it off. Seto could imagine her being one of the prettiest girls back in her day. _However, those days are over._

He made eye-contact and replied, "Yes, I would like to speak with your waiter."

Her brown eyes widened. The color vaguely reminded him of Joey's eyes, though his were much more vibrant. "Has that boy done something?" Worry edged in her voice. Apparently, Seto was not Niko's first victim.

"No, ma'am. I just wish to speak with him for a moment."

Mamoosa eyed him wearily. "Alright, he's in the kitchen. I'll go fetch him."

The CEO watched her as she waddled to a swinging door and through it. Whilst waiting, he opted to stare at the counter. It was an odd shade of crimson and it shimmered. He wondered if there was glitter in the paint.

"Oh, it's _you_."

The brunet jolted towards the waiter. Niko's arms were crossed and face contorted into a scowl. The redhead stood behind the counter, glaring pathetically at the other.

Realizing, he had better watch his ground, he said with caution, "I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior."

Niko's eyes widened. Suspicious of the other teen, he asked, "What's with the change of attitude?"

Seto dropped eye contact. He had not put forth much thought on a reason. Apparently, simply saying 'sorry' and moving on did not work anymore.

His eyes fell on the cash register. It was an old-fashioned on, with metal keys and knobs. He wondered if it was as old as Mamoosa.

"Well?" Niko shifted his feet.

If there was one thing Seto was bad at, it was lying. He could snake around the truth or deluded to the inexact truth. It was one of the few things Gozaburo was right about. 'Only cowards lie needlessly. And Kaiba's are not cowards.'

With that in mind, he retrieved eye contact. In a firm tone, he replied, "Because someone told me that I should."

The redhead's face changed. His frown turned into a wry grin. "You and blond."

"What?" Seto said unintelligently.

Niko rolled his eyes and threw up his arms in disbelief. "I should've known you two were together when you guys walked in."

"Together?" The CEO cocked a brow. "As in a couple?" Seto was dumbfounded. Many accusations had been thrown about the teen. However, no one made an allegation about him and…intimate relations. _Especially one with the mutt_.

The waiter's grin turned into a smirk. "Like yeah. What else would I mean?" As he watched Seto grimaced, he burst into a fit of giggles. After he calmed, he said, "Okay, I forgive you." His green greens flickered to the brunet's blond companion. An idea popped into mind. "Let's pull a wager."

The scowl disappeared while a smirk of his own materialized. _That_ was a topic he could handle with the Kaiba grace. "And what is the set-up?"

"Well, Téa mentioned to me that ya'll will be swinging by on your return trip," he opened. The glint of his eyes reminded Seto of Mokuba's when the younger brother was about to do or say something _questionable._ "I bet that when you come by, you and your blond friend will be an item."

"And I bet we won't be. What are the stakes?"

Niko hummed in thought. He replied, "$100 sounds fair."

The smirk deepened. "Hope you have enough by next week." He extended his hand to the other.

"I won't need it," he said as he took the hand and shook on it. "Pleasure doing business with you." He mock-saluted with his free hand. "See you next week, sir."

"Better have my money ready."

"Better have your boyfriend ready."

* * *

"What do ya think they're talkin' about?" Joey asked as he eyed the CEO and the waiter conversing. He pictured that moneybags would say sorry in his bastardy way and move on. But, they had been talking too long for the blond's taste.

"I'm thinking how the hell you got Seto to apologize."

Mokuba knew his brother. Seto was not the type to express regret unless the brunet convinced himself that he was at fault. Otherwise, it was the other party's mistake and Seto would not pay in any reconciliation.

And people have fought more than Joey to get the brunet to even bat an eyelash…and for a silly thing too.

Joey shrugged his shoulders. "S'not a big deal."

The younger Kaiba stared at the blond. _Not a big deal!_ The gears clicked away. _What exactly is going on?_ "What's up with you and Seto anyway?"

"A-what?" It dawned on Joey what Mokuba conveyed. He came up with a reasonable explanation. "We just haven't found anything to fight 'bout yet."

The other looked deadpan. "Seto said the same thing."

The blond instantly panicked. He looked around with frantic and spotted the CEO returning. Ignoring Mokuba, "Hey, how'd it go?" He asked.

The floor apparently transfixed the brunet as he completely disregarded Joey. With silence, he returned to his seat and stared the gray, uninteresting table.

More concerned with his brother, Mokuba switched his attention. "Seto?" He soon recognized that look. A look the younger rarely saw. The look of self-contemplation.

However, before either could snap Seto out of his stupor, Tristan boomed, "Alright people! Start heading out!"

Murmurs and groans befell the group as they stood and made way to the diner's entrance. Duke and Tristan led the way with Téa last as she went to the counter to pay.

"I'm glad business is still going well," Téa commented to Mamoosa.

The elder woman smiled widely. "So am I, sweetie. There're money troubles after Soda Pop took to the clouds." Her smile switched to a sadder version, but she kept her pep. "Aw hell. The past is the past. Let's fret over the present." She left her post and went over to Niko. "I'll take care of the tables. You go say bye to Téa."

The teen simply nodded and stood at the counter. He leaned over in exhaustion. "I simply adore spring break," he said sarcastically. "Speaking of which, you got yourself some interesting friends." His eyes trailed to the windows leading out to the parking lot.

Téa's eyes followed and she sighed exasperatedly. It seemed Tristan angered Bakura or insulted Ryou indirectly, seeing that the thief was chasing the brunet around the lot. Yugi and Ryou looked to be trying to stop the fuss. Joey, Duke, and Mokuba were cracking up while Yami held his smirk.

"Sometimes I like to pretend that I don't know them." She sighed again. "I always have to keep my eyes on them."

Niko grinned. "If I were you, I'd keep on blue-eyes and the blond."

Téa raised an eyebrow. "Well yeah. They fight like cat and dog."

"Something tells me," his voice turned into a whisper. "That they're going to end up purrowl in a basket*."

…

"What is that supposed to even mean?"

* * *

Joey made a mental note to never, **ever** let Seto drive again.

The departure from the diner started out smoothly. However, Duke assertively challenged the CEO to a race to the gas station. The blond was just surprised that Tristan's hunk-of-junk even went that fast.

He, along with other passengers between the two cars, dropped to the ground and praised every deity that they could name.

While they admired dirt, Duke emerged from his car angry. "How'd _that_ beat my ride?"

"Maybe some of us can actually handle cars," he started. "While others have to compensate."

Green eyes narrowed as the raven-haired teen took offensive steps towards the other. "What did you say?!"

Snapping out of their daze, Joey and Tristan stood and placed themselves closer to the arguing duo.

Duke and Seto held their glare-off until the brunet sighed.

"It isn't the same," he muttered as he turned away. He ignored the weird looks that were given to him.

He enjoyed crawling under people's skins and making them squirm. Watching their reactions was his pastime. However, he had a favorite: the mutt. Though he could not exactly pinpoint the reason, having the blond's anger and attention focused only on him gave a swell in his chest.

However, the truce kept him from taunting Joey. Seto attempted to pick on the others, but none had the same effect.

Breaking the silence, Tristan spoke, "You guys know that Téa's probably pissed."

"Yeah, 'cause she's always a butterfly," Joey mumbled. "Well, since we're already here, Duke, Kaiba, fill up the tanks."

Begrudgingly, they followed his orders with grumbles under their breath.

Joey smiled at his handiwork. He turned to the other three. "While they're doing that, let's raid the station." He received unison of agreements.

The gas station was typical for one in the middle of a forest. Though, it was the first gas station Joey had seen that did not have bars on the door and windows. Like the diner, the parking lot was made of gravel and a neon sign hung on the roof.

Yet, as the sun began to set, the sign lit up. It had a teal border with the name 'Gas's & Market' in pink. The '&' and the apostrophe looked to be burnt out long ago. The 'G' flickered. This amused Joey immensely.

He turned and elbowed Mokuba. The blond pointed to the sign in the company of a wide grin. The preteen followed the point. It took a few clicks for the name to process. Both laughed like fools.

Confused, Tristan asked, "What are you two giggling about?" He too followed Joey's point and almost fell into laughter himself.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Serenity also looked at the sign. "…ass market?" The boys erupted into more hilarity. Her expression fell straight-faced. "Real mature, guys." She rolled her eyes and walked into the station with the boys in tow. A bell announced their arrival.

The inside was of the expected. Icee and soda machines were found in one corner while a pastry cabinet stood in another. Movies for sale littered on wall. Shelves of various snacks scattered about. Behind the gray counter, a bored blonde girl popped her bubblegum. She bothered not to even look up from her magazine.

"She just cannot appreciate the sophistication of the anecdote," Joey mused.

Tristan smirked. "Be careful, Joey. You and big fancy words don't really get along."

Serenity and Mokuba ambled towards the snacks to collect for the last duration of the car trip. The other teens made a beeline to the soda machine.

"Ya're just jealous that I'm a vocabularyer on a higher level."

"Oh yes, you caught me," Tristan replied dryly.

The bell rang again. An irritated Seto marched in.

"What's up, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

The brunet looked accusingly at Tristan. "It seems Taylor was right about Gardner."

Serenity heaved a sigh. "I'll go talk to her." She zigzagged her way back to the door.

Mokuba continued picking out snacks as Joey and Tristan gathered drinks. Seto went to the counter and paid for both his and Duke's gas. After all, the other was too busy getting chewed out by Téa.

When everything else was paid for (much to the annoyance of the employee), the teen left the store. Luckily, it seemed Serenity calmed the brunette down.

The van-teens stood around aimlessly. Mokuba and the duo of Joey and Tristan distributed the food and soda. Téa paced back and forth as she waited for the gas pump to be done.

The blond cocked a brow. "Got ants in your pants?" Joey questioned.

The girl glared in the blond's general direction. "We need to get to the motel by ten."

Catching Yugi's interest, he asked, "Why?"

The brunette opted to stand and tap her foot impatiently. "I told the motel manager that we would be there by then. If we get much later, we might actually lose a room."

"I'm sure we will be able to there on time. And if not, early enough to get all of our rooms," Ryou attempted to reassure.

Joey turned to the closest person to him: Seto. "Five bucks says he ends up jinxing it."

"I'm afraid that is a dead bet," Seto announced.

Little did they know how right the blond was. Or what revelations it would bring.

* * *

* I highly doubt that most of you have even heard the phrase "purrowling in a basket". Here in Redneck Land, we pretty much have a phrase for everything. This expression basically means that although they're opposites, they can still get along. Yes, it is a very backwoods idiom. It's how we roll.

**A/N:** That's chapter 5! I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews will be appreciated, but alerts and favorites are cool too.


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